Restore a user account in Windows 8 - Please help!

[danielbryanlhr84CAE3C81D]

Hi There,

I deleted my brothers user account in Windows 8 and need to know if there is a way to restore it. I have tried running a system restore to an earlier date (roll back / fall back option) but have tried this about 5 times, even tried it once in safe mode but all to no avail. Is there another way please?
Every time I run the system restore option, when I restart my machine and login to my account, it says the system restore didnt complete successfully and my brothers account doesnt show up on the login / start up screen.

I have had to create a NEW login for my brother (seen on the far right - Matthew Bryan) but I need his old one back as this new one doesnt have any of his old stuff or files on it, its just a new logon.

Please can someone help?
Many thanks

Dan Bryan

 

[Brink]

Hello Dan, and welcome to Eight Forums.

As you discovered, restore points only include system files and not anything for user accounts.

Do you have a system image backup instead to restore?

Check to see if the account's C:\Users\<username> profile folder may still be there. If so, you can copy any needed files from it to the new account.

You can also look to see if there may be a C:\Windows.old folder. If so, check inside it to see if there may be an old copy of the account's profile folder to copy from.

 

[danielbryanlhr84CAE3C81D]

Hello Brink, thank you so much for your kind reply.
I'm not sure if I have a "system image backup" --> Sorry I'm not very computer savvy.
I have typed C:\Users into the run command and came up with the attached image. My Brother's old account was simply named "Matthew" and the NEW one I have created is called "Matthew Bryan" (as per the screenshot in my first post), so perhaps this folder in the second image is his old account...?, however it states it was 'modified' on the 30th of December 2019 which was when I created his NEW login/account so I'm not too sure?
Please see the attachment, sorry for the poor quality as I'm uploading the image from my mobile phone.
Please let me know what you think / what more can be done if anything please?
Thank you.

Daniel Bryan.

 

[danielbryanlhr84CAE3C81D]

Hi Again,
Also - I tried the C:\Windows.old but I cant see anything in there that would help.
What about the registry, would there be anything saved in there I could potentially use?

Dan.

 

[Brink]

I'm afraid that it looks like it has been permanently deleted with nothing left to restore from.

A system image is basically a backup copy of the Windows drive that can be restore as needed.

I would also always recommend to keep a backup copy of any files you do not want to lose on a separate drive than the Windows drive to be extra safe.

 

[RolandJS]

System image backups are those large, compressed, files residing, hopefully, external media, created by one of many free or fee backup/restore progrms. Naming just a few: Windows built-in backup/restore, Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper, EaseUS ToDo, Image for Windows, Karen's Duplicator, and many more.

 

[RolandJS]

There is one remote shot in the dark, IF the old profile has not yet been overwritten, that harddrive in the computer of a local data recovery person, just remotely possibly might find and copy off little to some to most to all [ascending order of improbability] of that deleted profile's contents. That will not be a DIY, and it will cost you for that person's expertise, energy, time, and resources.